This specialist conversion course fills a critical gap in the market for postgraduate training in economics. If you have an undergraduate degree in another subject area but wish to switch to economics, this course will help you do that - without requiring you to sign up to a full undergraduate degree.

You do not need any prior training in the subject. The programme will give you a thorough grounding in the fundamental ideas and methods of modern economics, and you will learn to apply economic reasoning to practical problems. Crucially, you will also develop the necessary mathematical and statistical toolkit for studying economics. This rigorous and intensive training, spread over one or two years, will enable you to compete on equal terms with students graduating with undergraduate degrees in economics.

The Graduate Diploma is an undergraduate-level qualification. Upon completing the programme, a significant proportion of students exit directly to the job market. Other students use this programme as a preparation for an MSc in economics or related disciplines.

The one-year full-time route offers a rapid progression to a high degree of economic literacy; the two-year part-time route is suitable for students from non-technical backgrounds who wish to combine studying with full-time employment.

Highlights

This is an ideal conversion programme if you have a degree in another subject and need the skills of an economics graduate in your work, or want to study economics at Master's level. (Many of our students require a level of economic knowledge in their jobs that is usually acquired at an undergraduate level, as they work for City institutions, the Bank of England, government departments and economic regulators.)

Our September pre-sessional courses will provide you with an accelerated revision of core mathematics skills, as they start at - roughly - GCSE level, but progress very rapidly to more advanced techniques.

All modules on the programme are designed carefully around targeted, accelerated learning, in contrast to conversion courses in other universities that simply offer modules that are already part of other undergraduate programmes.

You can choose to study this course by distance learning, as a purely online course.

We aim to video record all lectures, and all course materials are made available online, so you can access them when you need them.

In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), more than half of our research outputs in Economics were ranked world-leading or internationally excellent.

Entry requirements

Evidence of aptitude for mathematical and statistical analysis is advantageous.

International entry requirements

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

Visa requirements

If you are not from the European Economic Area (EEA) and/or Switzerland and you are coming to study in the UK, you may need to apply for a visa.

The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

Courses of more than six months’ duration.

Courses of less than six months’ duration.

Pre-sessional English language courses.

International students who require a Tier 4 visa should apply for our three-year evening study BA/BSc/LLB degrees, as these are classified as full-time study and qualify for student visa status. If you are living in the UK on a Tier 4 visa, you will not be eligible to enrol as a student on Birkbeck’s part-time evening study degrees.

Credits and Accredited Prior Learning (APL)

If you have studied at university previously, you may have accumulated credits through the modules you studied.
It may be possible to transfer these credits from your previous study to Birkbeck or another institution.
You should discuss this with the Programme Director when you are making your application.

Fees

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their programme. Tuition fees for students continuing on their programme in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the College Fees Policy.

Teaching

At Birkbeck, almost all of our courses are taught in the evening and our teaching is designed to support students
who are juggling evening study with work and other daytime commitments. We actively encourage innovative and
engaging ways of teaching, to ensure our students have the best learning experience. In the 2017 Teaching
Excellence Framework (TEF), the government’s system for rating university teaching, Birkbeck was allocated a
Silver award.

Teaching may include formal lectures, seminars, and practical classes and tutorials. Formal lectures are used in
most degree programmes to give an overview of a particular field of study. They aim to provide the stimulus and
the starting point for deeper exploration of the subject during your own personal reading. Seminars give you the
chance to explore a specific aspect of your subject in depth and to discuss and exchange ideas with fellow
students. They typically require preparatory study.

Our distance-learning and blended-learning courses and modules are self-directed and we will provide you with
interactive learning opportunities and encourage you to collaborate and engage via various learning technologies.
These courses involve limited or no face-to-face contact between students and module tutors.

In addition, you will have access to pastoral support via a named Personal Tutor.

Methods of teaching on this course

Lectures and classes. Private study forms a crucial part of the learning process.

A key feature of this programme is its specially tailored lectures. This is in contrast to most other UK universities offering equivalent qualifications, where lectures are usually taken from existing undergraduate programmes.

Contact hours

On our taught courses, you will have scheduled teaching and study sessions each year. Alongside this, you will
also undertake assessment activities and independent learning outside of class. Depending on the modules you take,
you may also have additional scheduled academic activities, such as tutorials, dissertation supervision, practical
classes, visits and fieldtrips.

On our taught courses, the actual amount of time you spend in the classroom and in contact with your lecturers will
depend on your course, the option modules you select and when you undertake your final-year project.

On our distance-learning and blended-learning courses, discussion, collaboration and interaction with your lecturers
and fellow students are encouraged and enabled through various learning technologies, but you may have limited or
no face-to-face contact with your module tutors.

Timetables

Timetables are usually available from September onwards and you can access your personalised timetable via your
My Birkbeck Profile online (if you have been invited to enrol).

Indicative class size

Class sizes vary, depending on your course, the module you are undertaking, and the method of teaching.
For example, lectures are presented to larger groups, whereas seminars usually consist of small,
interactive groups led by a tutor.

Independent learning

On our taught courses, much of your time outside of class will be spent on self-directed, independent learning,
including preparing for classes and following up afterwards. This will usually include, but is not limited to,
reading books and journal articles, undertaking research, working on coursework and assignments, and preparing
for presentations and assessments.

Independent learning is absolutely vital to your success as a student. Everyone is different, and the study time
required varies topic by topic, but, as a guide, expect to schedule up to five hours of self-study for each hour
of teaching.

On our distance-learning and blended-learning courses, the emphasis is very much on independent, self-directed
learning and you will be expected to manage your own learning, with the support of your module tutors and various
learning technologies.

Study skills and additional support

Birkbeck offers study and learning support to undergraduate and postgraduate students to help them succeed.
Our Learning Development Service can
help you in the following areas:

Assessment

Assessment is an integral part of your university studies and usually consists of a combination of coursework and
examinations, although this will vary from course to course - on some of our courses, assessment is entirely by
coursework. The methods of assessment on this course are specified below under 'Methods of assessment on this
course'. You will need to allow time to complete coursework and prepare for exams.

Where a course has unseen written examinations, these may be held termly, but, on the majority of our courses,
exams are usually taken in the Summer term, during May to June. Exams may be held at other times of the year as
well. In most cases, exams are held during the day on a weekday - if you have daytime commitments, you will need
to make arrangements for daytime attendance - but some exams are held in the evening. Exam timetables are
published online.

Methods of assessment on this course

Mostly by unseen written examination. Each module, except Topics in Mathematical Economics and Econometrics, includes some assessment based on in-class or online tests. Applied Statistics and Econometrics is assessed by examination (70%) and project (30%).

Careers and employability

Graduates can pursue a career in banking and finance, the public sector, industry, and research and analysis. Possible professions include economist, financial risk analyst, statistician, or management consultant. This degree can also be useful in becoming an actuary, Civil Service fast streamer or local government officer.

Our Careers and Employability Service can help you advance your career, while our in-house, professional recruitment consultancy, Birkbeck Talent, works with London’s top employers to help you gain work experience that fits in with your evening studies.